


Blame it on the rice

by Evil_Keshi



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Disabled Character, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, First Meetings, Love at First Sight, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 21:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8684884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Keshi/pseuds/Evil_Keshi
Summary: Erik doesn't know what to do. He just keeps staring with wide eyes, unable to decide, make up his mind, because he already knows that the pain he will go through if he makes a mistake will be terrible. Raven will have his head and while Erik has never been terrified of any woman (or man, he feels compelled to add), his roommate wins the gold in the scary department. He's screwed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first Cherik story, which came to me unexpectedly. I hope you will enjoy it ;)

  


Erik doesn't know what to do. He just keeps staring with wide eyes, unable to decide, make up his mind, because he already knows that the pain he will go through if he makes a mistake will be terrible. Raven will have his head and while Erik has never been terrified of any woman (or man, he feels compelled to add), his roommate wins the gold in the scary department.

Oh, he loves her, he does, but when she's pissed... Well, you'd better steer clear of her, whether you are the cause of her anger or not. He still remembers the day she broke up with her last boyfriend; to be accurate, he was the one who wanted to break up but she was the one who made him cry like a baby. As of this day, Erik still doesn't know if he should feel proud or terrified.

But hey, back to business. The young man sighs a little, growing more and more desperate as the seconds tick away and he's still standing there like a complete moron, just because he's scared to reach out and grab the wrong kind of rice.

That's right, rice. Because Raven decided this morning that she had enough of being the overbooked and broke student who only eats instant noodles and since she doesn't trust Erik's skills in the kitchen, she told him that she would cook their dinner herself. Then of course, she asked Erik to go to the supermarket for her because she had to study - apparently, it didn't occur to her that her roommate also had some work to do but in her defence, he didn't complain. He's an idiot.

So, here he is, standing in this aisle of the supermarket, sweating as he feels people come and go behind him while he remains still. Raven wants to make risotto, which needs rice. Erik did manage to find the cereal aisle, thank you very much, but he was never notified that so many sorts of rice even existed.

White rice, brown rice, red rice, even subcategories like _Bhutanese_ red rice and _Camargue_ red rice (wait, is this French?), Basmati rice (don't ask if this one is brown or red or pink, he _doesn't_ know) and then there is also sushi rice and even special rice for desserts. What the hell? Why can't one single kind of rice fit every recipe? Why so many? Did Raven know this, is this why she sent him to face the abomination that is the cereal aisle?

"Excuse me?" a clear voice suddenly says to his right.

It sure as hell _doesn't_ startle Erik, who _doesn't_ flinch but turns his head to the side, frowning when he realises that the man who spoke to him is much, much shorter than him and that he has to look down if he wants to meet said man's eyes.

_Mein Gott_. Erik would slap himself for thinking that the man, who has beautiful eyes by the way, is short. He is in a wheelchair. He's also smiling at Erik, waiting for acknowledgment, but the other man is way too busy staring at him to utter a single word; Erik feels like he just reached the end of a long night to step into the light, because that smile? It burns his eyes like the sun would but he can't look away, for fear of losing the warmth that he can almost feel on his face.

"Y... yes?" Erik eventually manages to answer, brought back to reality when he sees the smile on the man's lips falter a little due to his lack of reaction.

"I was wondering," the man starts, smiling again and tucking a strand of half-long brown hair behind his ear (Erik would dare say he's aiming for a seductive gesture - and it works), "since you're tall and strong, if you could maybe hand me that bag of brown rice. It's a little too high for me. Do you mind?"

"That one?" Erik asks, just to be sure, as he points to the rice he thinks the other man wants. "Sure, here you are."

He hopes he's not blushing as the bright smile comes back when the man in the wheelchair accepts the bag.

"This is really nice of you," he says, gratitude in his voice. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Erik manages to whisper, feeling a little disappointed when Blue-Eyes turns around, bag of rice on his knees, and starts to leave.

The young man doesn't know what urges him to hold back the stranger but he does, oblivious to the distance that has already grown between them, and he shouts:

"Hey, wait!"

The other man whips his head around, startled and a little unsure that Erik is talking to him, but when he notices his intent expression, he wheels his chair around and cocks a curious eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Uh, I was wondering..." Erik starts, trying to push aside his pride as he gets mentally ready to ask for help. "Can you cook?"

"I... Yeah, I manage," the other answers, clearly not expecting that question and now a little confused. "Why?"

"Could you help me?" Erik blurts out. "My roommate wants to make risotto and asked me to buy the rice but I'm... Lost. And she'll kill me if I bring back the wrong kind. So... Please?"

In front of him, the other man looks flabbergasted for a second and then, he starts to laugh. Pure, joyful laughter that makes Erik feel like he has been slapped, in more ways than one: first, that man is laughing at him and his lack of skills in the kitchen, killing the last shreds of pride he had left, and second, that laugh is beautiful. Erik wants to hear it forever and he blushes when he realises how it makes him sound (stupid, mostly.)

"Sorry," the man says, "I'm sorry, uh... What's your name?"

"Erik," the latter groans. "Erik Lehnsherr."

"Pleasure, I'm Charles Xavier," Charles introduces himself, reaching out to offer his hand to Erik, who begrudgingly shakes it. "I wasn't laughing at you, I swear."

Erik makes a whiny sound between offense and disbelief, that has Charles laughing again.

"Maybe I was, just a little," he admits with that stupid, bright smile. "I apologise. But of all the reasons I assumed you had called me for, this is one I didn't imagine."

"Can't blame you," Erik grunts again, "I would never have imagined myself facing scary bags of rice either. Damn Raven."

This time, Charles has the decency to hide his chuckling with a light cough. Erik doesn't even pretend to have taken offense of this anymore, just rolls his eyes. He thinks that no one could ever stay mad at that guy more than two seconds. Not even him: that man is way too cute (don't ever tell Raven he said that.)

"You do know that risotto rice exists, right?" Charles enquires, bringing Erik back to Earth.

_Risotto rice?_ Are you kidding?

"... Really?" Erik deadpans.

"Really," Charles confirms with another smile.

"But... Where? I didn't see any..."

He probably saw every kind of rice that exists, red and brown and whatnot, and he managed to miss the one he was looking for? Is that even possible?

"Here," Charles says, reaching towards the bottom of the shelf, where indeed a bag of risotto rice proudly stands.

"Oh," Erik says, feeling a little (okay, a lot) like an idiot. "Right. Uh. I guess I didn't think of looking down..."

"Well, it's at my level," Charles states with a shrug while he grabs the small bag. "With these long legs of yours, I'm not surprised you didn't even see it."

Erik can only smile, a little uncomfortable now because he doesn't know how to answer on the topic of legs without offending or hurting Charles, so he doesn't say anything. Sometimes he's an asshole but never on purpose, or at least not when it comes to handsome men like Charles.

And, oops, he's heading down a dangerous path there. He stares at Charles and he thinks that he's cute, handsome even, and his laughter makes his whole body tingle and... Crap. Behind his scary and fierce exterior, Erik has the soul of a marshmallow, soft and tender when you know him (and most importantly, when he trusts you), and this Charles stirs inside him every fibre of protectiveness and admiration he owns. This is not good. He should stop talking to this handsome man and run away, screaming, with his bag of rice until he gets home.

"So..." Charles says after a little while, "I guess I'll be on my way and leave you to your groceries. I hope the risotto will be good."

"Yeah," Erik mumbles, unable to look the other in the eyes. "Thanks, you know. For... your help."

"My pleasure," Charles answers, still going on with his bright and dazzling smile. "Goodbye, then. Maybe I'll see you around."

Erik merely waves as he watches the other man turn around with his wheelchair. This... This is good. Charles is leaving, they have stopped talking, they will probably never see each other again and Erik's tough act will be saved so, really, this should not bother him the way it does. It should not... Oh, crap.

"Charles, wait!" he exclaims, totally giving up on refraining himself. "Charles!"

Surprised at being, once again, called back, Charles stops but doesn't have the time to face the other side, since Erik is the one to take a few quick steps, until he is standing in front of this man who has done nothing to steal his heart but smile at him.

"Yes?" Charles squeaks out when Erik bends down to stare at him.

That is one intense stare, almost a glare, he would say, except that Erik looks defeated, _resigned_ , as if he had just accepted that he would have the worst fate ever.

"How does eating risotto with me sound?" Erik blurts out.

"I... I'm sorry, what?" Charles asks, a little bewildered.

Surely he has heard him wrong, right? But Erik sighs, closes his eyes for a second or two, then his eyelids flutter open and his gaze turns into something softer.

"Would you like to join me for dinner?" Erik says. "Well, me and Raven. You know, my roommate? For the risotto? That way you could see for yourself how it turns out. And I'll have someone on my side if it turns out to be disgusting. But of course you can... say no. It's fine. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked this, you don't know me, maybe you don't like risotto, or perhaps..."

"Erik, stops talking," Charles interrupts him firmly, resting a hand on Erik's wrist (which shuts him up more effectively than his words, to be honest.) "I would be... delighted to have dinner with you. And Raven, of course."

This must be a dream, Erik thinks. There is no way that Charles has just accepted this invitation that came out of the blue.

"Really?" he asks, just to be certain that he is not hallucinating. "You're just going to... roll with it?"

He realises what he just said as soon as the words leave his mouth and he slaps a hand against his face, but it's too late. He said that... to Charles. Fuck. He barely dares to look at the guy's reaction but when he does, his eyes open wide: Charles is still smiling. He seems amused and, even worse, like he's laughing at him. However, when he speaks, his voice is firm and completely genuine as he winks and says:

"Yes, I'll roll with it... Literally. So, when and where?"

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments, I would be delighted to know what you thought about this. Thanks again! :)


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